After his not-so-awesome introduction, Ingrid had dragged Barns outside to "give them some time to bond."
Barns had looked helpless as he left, mumbling something about waiting outside to take Hugo home.
The door closed behind them with a soft mechanical hiss.
And then — silence.
For a moment, no one moved.
The hum of the ceiling lights filled the room, steady and cold.
Hugo could feel four distinct pairs of eyes on him.
They didn't even try to hide it.
Their gazes pressed on him from different angles, dissecting him, pulling him apart layer by layer as if they were trying to see through his skin into whatever lay beneath.
But he didn't flinch.
He just stood there — arms relaxed at his sides, expression blank, breathing even.
He'd learned long ago how to keep himself still, to hold everything back until his face became an empty mask.
It was easier that way.
And yet, beneath that stillness, his heartbeat was louder than he wanted it to be.
The first to move was Blake.
He pushed his chair back and rose slowly.
His footsteps were steady — unhurried, deliberate.
His eyes stayed on Hugo, unreadable, until he stopped right in front of him.
For a few seconds, neither of them said anything.
Blake's eyes scanned him up and down, taking in the years that had reshaped the face he once knew. Then, suddenly — his expression cracked open.
A wide grin spread across his face, and his voice broke the tension like a burst of sunlight.
"Hugo!"
Before Hugo could react, Blake threw his arms around him in a bear hug that nearly crushed the air from his lungs.
Hugo's ribs protested as Blake lifted him slightly off the ground before setting him back down with a laugh that filled the entire room.
"Gods, I can't believe it's actually you! How long has it been? thirteen years! You're almost as tall as me now, huh?"
He gave Hugo a few hearty slaps on the back — "friendly" taps that carried the weight of a sledgehammer.
Hugo managed to smile despite the ache spreading through his spine.
"Yeah… how have you been, Blake?" he asked, trying to match the warmth in Blake's tone but failing to raise his energy to the same level.
Blake grinned, ruffling Hugo's hair like he used to when they were kids. "Been good. Busy, you know how it is. School, training, drills, all that fun stuff."
Hugo nodded, though in truth, he didn't.
But he didn't want to interrupt the moment.
The tension in the room had shifted now — from silence to curiosity.
He could feel the others watching more closely. The twins hadn't moved from their seats yet, but one of them — the one with the black hair — tilted her head slightly, the corner of her mouth twitching upward.
And then, without warning, she walked up to them and leaned forward.
Her head popped into view between Blake's arm and Hugo's shoulder, her expression a picture of wide-eyed innocence and curiosity — except for the faint spark of mischief dancing in her gaze.
"Hello!" she chirped, voice sweet enough to rot sugar. "I'm Znph!"
The sudden proximity startled Hugo. He blinked and took a half step back, caught between politeness and discomfort.
"Uh— I'm Hugo. Nice to meet you."
Znph clasped her hands behind her back and swayed slightly on her feet, eyes glimmering as she looked him up and down like a child examining a new toy.
"Nice to meet you too," she said with exaggerated warmth. Then, without missing a beat, "Where are you from?"
"From… The outer city, at Sector three" Hugo said carefully.
"Outer city?" She repeated it slowly, like the words themselves tasted strange. "Ohh, that's where those tiny broken down houses are, right?"
There was no malice in her tone — at least, not at first.
Her voice carried the lilt of genuine curiosity. But the glint in her eyes told a different story.
Hugo kept his face neutral. "Yeah, the homes there are small," he said simply.
She smiled wider. "Small means quiet, huh? No parties, no schools, no cars… must've been nice. Peaceful. Safe."
He shrugged slightly. "Something like that."
Znph leaned closer, lowering her voice conspiratorially. "Or boring?"
Hugo blinked. "What?"
Her smile turned sweet again — disarmingly so. "I mean, you're here now, right? Which means you wanted out. People don't come running here unless they're running away from something else."
Blake turned his head slightly toward her. "Znph," he warned gently with a sigh, but she ignored him, her focus locked on Hugo like a cat playing with a cornered bird.
"So," she said softly, still smiling, "what are you running from, Hugo from the Outer City?"
For the first time since he'd walked into the room, Hugo met her gaze directly.
It was clear she was trying to play with him, to provoke some kind of emotion maybe, but she was picking on the wrong person if she thought that he was going to crack.
"Nothing," he said. "Just running toward something instead."
Znph blinked.
Then laughed — not mockingly, but with a genuine, almost childlike delight that somehow made the room feel more off-balance.
"Oh, I like that," she said brightly. "That's a good answer."
She turned her head toward her twin, who had been watching quietly all along.
"See, Urela? He's not boring after all."
Urela sighed softly and stood, brushing imaginary dust from her uniform.
Her movements were slow, graceful — every gesture deliberate, as though designed to counterbalance her sister's erratic energy.
"Znph," she said calmly, "stop looking for problems."
Znph gasped, feigning offense. "Me? I'm just making conversation!"
Urela ignored her, stepping forward and offering Hugo a small, polite nod. "Don't mind her," she said, voice soft but steady. "She likes playing with people."
"I can see that," Hugo replied, his tone mild.
"I'm Urela," she continued, extending a hand.
He shook her hand lightly. "Hugo."
"Do you think she's pretty Hugo?" Znph suddenly asked again with a soft giggle.
"Znph!" Urela warned with a glare.
"What? It's just a question."
"What kind of question is that you idiot? i thought i told you to mind your words around strangers" Urela scolded while twisting one of Znph ear around.
"Ow ow ow, okay I'm sorry, i was just trying to be friendly."
"..."
Blake, who had been watching the exchange with amused resignation, rubbed his forehead. "And that's how it usually goes," he said to Hugo. "They argue, I pretend not to hear it, and Renn…"
He trailed off, glancing toward the corner of the room.
Hugo followed his gaze.
The fourth member — the girl who had said nothing since he entered — was leaning casually against her chair at the far wall, arms crossed.
Her eyes were sharp but disinterested, and there was a faint glint of impatience in them, like someone waiting for a conversation to end so they could get back to something more useful.
When she realized Hugo was looking, she straightened slightly.
"Renn," she said simply. "You'll figure out the rest later."
Her tone wasn't rude — just curt. A voice that said "I'm not here for small talk."
Hugo nodded lightly. "Okay..."
She gave a single approving nod before walking past him toward the door.
"Meeting's over, I guess," she said, pulling it open.
With that, she stepped out, the door sliding shut behind her.
Znph while rubbing her ears with a pout directed at her sister grinned at Hugo. "Well, welcome to Cadre 5, newbie. Try not to break too soon. It's hard to find interesting ones like you."
Urela sighed again. "Ignore her," she murmured, offering Hugo a small smile before following her sister out the door.
Blake lingered a second longer, watching them go before glancing back at Hugo.
"Don't worry," he said, voice light but sincere. "They'll warm up eventually. Znph's just… being Znph, she's freaking crazy."
"Yeah," Hugo said softly. "I figured."